Thanksgiving V ~

15-21 April:  This week, I was thankful for the April showers that are promising bouquets in the near future; for the fresh fruit in my breakfast; thankful for these beautiful words from Habakkuk 3:17-19: "Though the fig tree doesn’t bloom, and there’s no produce on the vine; though the olive crop withers, and the fields don’t provide food; though the sheep are cut off from the pen, and there are no cattle in the stalls; I will rejoice in the Lord. I will rejoice in the God of my deliverance. The Lord God is my strength. He will set my feet like the deer. He will let me walk upon the heights" (CEB); thankful for all the songs that are stored inside my head reminding me that my Father is the King, and that I have the privilege of sharing His gifts with those around me; thankful for another new day and the blessings that always come with it; thankful to read again this favorite passage from Jeremiah 29:11-13 where it is written: "I alone know the plans I have for you, plans to bring you prosperity and not disaster, plans to bring about the future you hope for. Then you will call to Me. You will come and pray to Me, and I will answer you. You will seek Me, and you will find Me because you will seek Me with all your heart." (GNT); thankful to see the Goldfinches are returning to the refilled feeders; thankful for the D.D. who humours my bird-watching with hanging feeders out-side my window; thankful God's Word contains the whole story - loss to restoration - in its pages, with the message of a crucified Savior as its centerpiece. As Paul wrote, "... The story and message of the cross is sheer absurdity and folly to those who are perishing and on their way to perdition, but to us who are being saved it is the [manifestation of] the power of God." (1 Corinthians 1:18; AMPC);  thankful for each new day of life and health and the measure of strength remaining to me - "strength for today, and bright hope for tomorrow"; thankful for the ease of finding rules "for the placement of quotation marks" on the i-net; thankful for these words from Romans 10:9-10 where it is written: "... If you confess with your mouth 'Jesus is Lord' and in your heart you have faith that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. Trusting with the heart leads to righteousness, and confessing with the mouth leads to salvation." (CEB); thankful for the "mostly" sunny weather forecasts over the next several days - a 20% chance of showers on the Sabbath, but 20% is much better than "rain" in the forecast!  I was thankful for the "helper" handle I found that extends the reach on the lever of the recliner in my room; thankful to read these words from Hosea 2:23 where it is written: "... I will have love, pity, and mercy for [you] who had not obtained love, pity, and mercy; and I will say to those who were not My people, You are My people, and they shall say, You are my God!" (AMPC); for the assurances of our Father's great love for each of His children; for another day with sunny skies in the forecast; for the message of Zechariah 13:9 that reads: "Then I will purify them and put them to the test, just as gold and silver are purified and tested. They will pray in my name, and I will answer them. I will say, 'You are my people,' and they will reply,'You, Lord, are our God!'” (CEV); thankful for the Sabbath, with the blessings of Hope Sabbath School, of multiple worship services and special programming available on-line; thankful that above the clouds, the sun still shines (and will return soon!); and thankful for these words from Jesus (who referred to the death all may experience as "sleep", John 11:11-14) who said: "I give them eternal life. They will never die, and no one will snatch them from my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them from my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.” (John 10:28; CEB).